My Story: 365 day blog challenge Day 60 My father

365 Day Blog Post Challenge 2019
Day 60
428. How did your father spend his time supporting his family?

I was very fortunate to have grown up with one of the most wonderful dads a girl could ask for. To list the things that he did to support our family are endless. He is one of those men that is always there for anyone whenever someone needs something. So it was not just for our family that he always went above and beyond, but it was with whoever needed him. He often took the art of being helpful and giving to a fault and on more than one occasion ended up getting the short end of the stick when he tried to help. Yet, that never seemed to discourage him from helping the next person that needed him. I can tell you in all honesty that I did NOT in anyway inherit this trait from my father. I am a “burn me once and I’m a forever skeptic of everyone and anything” kind of person.

Back to my dad… to say that my dad is a quiet man would be a major understatement. He does not speak much, but he is one of the most caring human beings I know. I wish I had time to go through some old photos to include here to show some of the wonderful things he did to support his family. His support was definitely not just financially, although he went above and beyond with that as well. We were never rich by any means and I think it would be a stretch to say we were even middle class, but my dad (both my parents) always made sure that they were able to give us everything we wanted within reason. My dad often worked two jobs to make sure that we had not just food and shelter, but also so that they could afford to buy me those designer jeans that I just “had” to have so that I could fit in at school. My dad has worked at the same company since before I was born. We are desperately trying to get him to retire now that he is almost 70, but he is fighting us every step of the way. He will be 70 is June and I think we have finally convinced him to cut his work schedule back to only 3 days a week. I’m still pushing for full retirement, but this is going to take baby steps I can tell.

As for what he did to support his family in a non-financial way.. well, I can’t think of anything he didn’t do really. He was our little league baseball couch. He volunteered to attend school field trips and was always at EVERY single dance recital or school event that my brother and I participated in. Even without a lot of money, both him and my mother always made sure that we had fun summer vacations whether it be driving in our old Chevy pickup truck the 6 hours to L.A. to go to Disneyland or heading to Tahoe to go camping. He taught me to drive (thank goodness he is also one of the most patient people I know) and has helped me pack up and move to various different homes more times then I can even count.

My dad is still one of the most amazing men I know. He is Santa every year in our home town and has expanded his Santa gigs to visiting several preschools during the month of December. People just love him and because he is soft spoken and kind, the kids- even those that are afraid- tend to be drawn to him.

I think sometimes I take both my parents for granted. Not in the sense that I don’t appreciate all they do for me, even still as a grown adult, but more in the fact that I take for granted that they will always be around for me when I need them. I plan on doing a better job at appreciating every moment with them going forward. I’m slowly learning that life can change within minutes, so it’s so important to learn to appreciate what we have when we have it.